Started building my first hotrod. I picked up a 31 model a 4 door sedan off a fellow hamber. Heres a link to when he found it... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133562 And heres a link to when i found it... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553143 Im not affraid to dig into something or a bit of hard work. Fitzee and his crew found this car in a small town called Buchans, hence the name Rusty Buchans.
So Starting with the doors. The front passenger door was destroyed. and the rust of the doors were pretty solid minus the bottoms that were completly gone. Started with the worst door first. I cut the top of and straightened it first and grafted it to the back drivers side door. Including choping it 4 inchs. Plan on making it a 2 door anyway. Now what to do with the bottom??
Started to build the bottom. I had this grinder for almost 3 years and the first time i ever did this!!
Earlier the the fall i found me a cool looking dash out of a simca aronde... The very same one fitzee mentioned in this post. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=564013 Only when i found it i could still drive in to it. Also grabbed the colum and wheel but the wheel is junk. And its pretty close fit. when i get the doors done i will trim it and make it fit.
Was playing aound the other day and made a some new windsheild posts. Mine was missing one and i figure while i was making one it was just as easy to make two. Made them slightly longer so when i got to install them i can trim them to fit.
When i first got the car. A old feller i know had a 52 m100 in on the back of feild. So i asked him about it and he said i could have it for a dozen beer. Called my buddy with a tow truck to come and get it. This is the way i found it. My buddy showed up in the flat bed but couldnt get handy to it from the ground being all soupy and muddy. I ask my buddy Skinny pete if he could pluck it out wit his truck for the wrecker. Next day i get up and look out... Friggin snow storm. Then skinny pete calls and tells me hes on the way to pluck it out. So we get there around 12 and theres about 10-15 cm of wet snow on the ground. I try to talk him out of it but he says where here know so its just as well to get it. Hooks the strap on to it and starts plucking it with the truck. I cut the tree growin up througgh it and cleared the old body off it the day before. The thing wont budge. There ended up being another tree growing up through the bumper we ended up hauling down, WHoops :S We end up getting stuck badly in to the side of trees and on top of another old car. We keep trying backin up and tryin to get out nothing were stuck. Calls everyone and anyone no wants to come out in a storm. So we try again this time we move forward and finly get out only to damage some of the box and pop out the taillight... Just great and get stuck again. So we finaly get out and call it a day.
A few days later the snow melted a bit and the old fella Calls and tells me just to cut it up and take what i want off it. I didnt want to do this and leave a mess behind but he insits and says just push off the remains back in to the trees. So me and skinny pete go up and scrap what i want off it. Motor was toast due to being out side 20 plus years with no head on it. I ended giving skinny pete some parts for his truck and a spare tail light i had around, plus i gave him a full tank of gas. he said it wasnt beat up enough for me to have it repainted... I still owe him big time. Some kool pedals a realy cool wheel... need to find 3 more And some odds and ends. Also got the steering box but i think it may be no good or need a rebuild.
i traded the windshield frame off the simca for a roof skin that fitzee had left over from his merc project. Perfect Door skins
Just wanted to say i had good bit of help showing me where to make cuts and what techniques to use when choping the door down. Thanks fitz
awesome work and a lot of patience to rebuild something most would scrap , cant wait to see more of it come together
Bring it on buddy! No one can say you are scared..... Looked at your door frame today....really nice job!
Absolutely AWESOME Jason! Your gonna have a wicked car once your finished...and I KNOW you have the required imagination, drive and desire TO finish it. See ya Friday at "Fitzees Diner"...and show me your progress!
About time you started a post. Nice job on it too. There is a lot of work with this build but the experience he will get from it will take him to another level.
Yes the old Chevy pick up roof is getting good use. I am very pleased on the crown on the panel. I figure we had it made and mounted in less then a hour. It was like it was made for it.
Hahaha i dunno was a tight fit for sure. Why buy a door skin when these old chevys are everywhere. And the tops hardly rot out.
Went to check out a few things the weekend. Thought i had a wheel off a gm truck but it was noo good. Checked the car next to it and it had a perfect wheel. I love the look of big wheels so i grabbed it. Cleaned up and started to fool with it.
nice find, looks like early 50s Chev and had a wheel spinner (necker knob, suicide knob) on it sometime in it's life.
That what it was. Cool .Jason nice job on the patine work. Need to find a old suicide knob for it now.
picked up a doner car the weekend... Bought it for the under glow, air horns, and all the skulls on it. just kidding. I wanted the caddy 500 and turbo 400
Almost did it... 500 cubic inch big block and turbo 400... in a 1500-2000 pound car should be pretty boring... Rollin in her grave
dang rusty hearse even with low miles and they keep those things clean. Man you have some patience with that metal. We are spoiled here in the south I guess.
Man...that Caddy mill will move the A along nicely! Pull everything you can off the Hearse for potential use and also check with some Hearse sites to see if anything is worth pulling and Ebaying for some extra cash. Those things have a real following and there can't be that many around! Whats the front seat like in it Jason? I need a good bench or even a split bench. The one Fitzee has for the Merc is wicked! Hmmm...maybe I should buy the roof/hatch from you and make my 63 Dodge a Hearse!!!!
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